Adjustable arrow alignment support rail

ABSTRACT

Within compact arrow launching devises, a channel-shaped rail structure is provided as an arrow alignment support and mounted to the top of the barrel with a mounting structure that permits the rail elevation to be adjusted and then locked into a desired elevation. The system enables a durable and ridged, low-friction rail to align a wide range of arrow diameters to the center of the bowstring, thereby facilitating the reliable accuracy and compatibility for a broad array of arrow designs.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/987,755, filed Mar. 10, 2020, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

Embodiments of the invention relate generally arrow alignment supports within compact arrow launching devices. Particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to an adjustable arrow alignment support rail that is compatible with a wide range of arrow diameters.

2. Description of Prior Art and Related Information

The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.

Conventional systems of aligning arrows of varying diameter to the center of a bowstring within counteracting block and tackle systems used in compact arrow launching devices are known. Such conventional systems have relied on over-molded rail covers to perform these alignment methods.

However, these conventional systems have limitations. While over-molded arrow rail covers are light-weight, these systems are relatively fragile and are prone to damage in typical outdoor use. These systems generally employ polymer construction that have a low coefficient of friction for smooth arrow travel, however they are also flexible and do not provide consistent and controllable arrow alignment. The result is inconsistent arrow flight accuracy.

Additionally, over-molded systems do not include a means of locking the arrow support rail into a fixed and desired elevation. The potential for rail elevation movement introduces the potential for inconsistent arrow alignment with the bowstring and reduced consistency of arrow travel accuracy. Additionally, it is not readily apparent to the user what diameter arrow the system is positioned to safely accommodate.

Over-molded systems have relied upon elevation adjustment assemblies that are located in-line with respect to the travel path of the arrow fletching within the channel groove. While this system is compatible with design schemes of a few compact arrow launching devices, this alignment presents interference with the arrow fletching for many of the bowstring release mechanisms commonly used within compact arrow launching devices.

In view of the foregoing, there is a need for an adjustable arrow alignment support rail system that can overcome the above limitations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the present invention can be achieved by providing a ridged, elongated rail structure having a channel profile, often provided as a single, unitary structure. Attachable under the rail is a bracket or bracket assembly of varying thicknesses. The alignment bracket can also be connected in a fixed position to the top of the barrel of a compact arrow launching device. Arrows having a range of given diameters can be placed along the channel of the rail such that each leg of the channel makes contact along the shaft of the arrow. The system permits the rail to be moved into a range of positions and thereby align a range of arrow shaft diameters with the center of the bow string within compact arrow launching devices.

While all embodiments utilize ridged materials, some embodiments can utilize hard anodized materials containing low friction polymers. This embodiment can maximize the ridged properties of the substrate while lowering the friction coefficient of the system.

Additionally, the alignment bracket can be color-coded to correspond to its thickness to readily allow the user to visually identify the proper arrow diameter to be safely used in the immediately configured system.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an adjustable arrow alignment support rail system comprising a rail arrow support having a base member with spaced apart side members extending from a top side of the base member, forming a channel therebetween; and a support mount operable to fix the rail arrow support to an arrow launching device.

Embodiments of the present invention further provide an adjustable arrow alignment support rail system comprising a rail arrow support having a base member with spaced apart side members extending from a top side of the base member, forming a channel therebetween; a support mount operable to fix the rail arrow support to an arrow launching device; a plurality of alignment brackets, where a select one or more of the plurality of alignment brackets are optionally removably attached to a bottom side of the base member to create a desired height between a top edge of the side members and a bowstring of the arrow launching device.

In some embodiments, each of the plurality of alignment brackets include an indicator advising a user of an arrow diameter usable with each of the plurality of alignment brackets. In some embodiments, the indicator is a distinct color for each of the plurality of alignment brackets.

In some embodiments, the alignment bracket is a one-piece component. In some embodiments, the alignment bracket is a multi-piece component.

In some embodiments, the desired height is adjustable between about 0.07 inches to about 0.35 inches, the desired height selected based either excluding the selected one or more of the alignment brackets or including a desired thickness of the selected one or more of the alignment brackets.

Embodiments of the present invention also provide a method for using an arrow launching device with different diameter arrows comprising disposing an adjustable arrow alignment support rail system on the arrow launching device, the adjustable arrow alignment support rail system comprising a rail arrow support having a base member with spaced apart side members extending from a top side of the base member, forming a channel therebetween; and a support mount fixing the rail arrow support to the arrow launching device, and a plurality of alignment brackets, where a select one or more of the plurality of alignment brackets are optionally disposed between the base member and the arrow launching device; and creating a desired height between a top edge of the side members and a bowstring of the arrow launching device either by mounting the rail arrow support directly to the arrow launching device, or by disposing one or more of the plurality of alignment brackets between the base member of the rail arrow support and the arrow launching device, wherein the desired height is selected such that a center of an arrow to be used aligns with a bowstring of the arrow launching device.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an example and are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of adjustable arrow alignment support rail system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the configuration in FIG. 1 depicting the alignment bracket moved away from the rail;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the configuration in FIG. 2 depicting the system with an arrow;

FIG. 4A is a front view of the adjustable arrow alignment support rail system of FIG. 1 with the rail support in the extreme low elevation position compared with an alignment reference of a center of a bowstring;

FIG. 4B is a front view of the adjustable arrow alignment support rail system of FIG. 1 depicting the rail support in the extreme high elevation position compared with an alignment reference of a center of a bowstring;

FIG. 5A is a front view of FIG. 4A including a large diameter arrow shaft;

FIG. 5B is a front view of FIG. 4B including a smaller diameter arrow shaft;

FIGS. 6A through 6C illustrate various thicknesses of the alignment bracket of the adjustable arrow alignment support rail system of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 7 is a side view of an embodiment of the present invention installed within a compact arrow launching device.

Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.

The invention and its various embodiments can now be better understood by turning to the following detailed description wherein illustrated embodiments are described. It is to be expressly understood that the illustrated embodiments are set forth as examples and not by way of limitations on the invention as ultimately defined in the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS AND BEST MODE OF INVENTION

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

In describing the invention, it will be understood that a number of techniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed techniques. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the individual steps in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that such combinations are entirely within the scope of the invention and the claims.

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.

The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or description below.

As is well known to those skilled in the art, many careful considerations and compromises typically must be made when designing for the optimal configuration of a commercial implementation of any system, and in particular, the embodiments of the present invention. A commercial implementation in accordance with the spirit and teachings of the present invention may be configured according to the needs of the particular application, whereby any aspect(s), feature(s), function(s), result(s), component(s), approach(es), or step(s) of the teachings related to any described embodiment of the present invention may be suitably omitted, included, adapted, mixed and matched, or improved and/or optimized by those skilled in the art, using their average skills and known techniques, to achieve the desired implementation that addresses the needs of the particular application.

Broadly, embodiments of the present invention provide an adjustable arrow alignment support rail system that includes an elongated, ridged rail (also referred to as an arrow support) having a channel-shaped profile structure. The arrow support may be directly mountable the top of the barrel of an arrow launching device or may be mountable to the top of an alignment bracket, having a desired thickness, that is attachable in a fixed position to the top of the barrel of an arrow launching device. In some embodiments, the alignment bracket can be color coded, based in its thickness, where the color coding corresponds to a range of arrow diameters usable therewith. In some embodiments, the base of the arrow support may be designed in various thicknesses to permit proper use of arrows of various thicknesses, as described in greater detail below.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 7, wherein like reference numerals refer to like components in the various views, there is illustrated therein a new and improved adjustable arrow alignment support rail system 100, also simply referred to as system 100.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, system 100 includes a single, ridged, elongated rail structure 101 (also simply referred to as rail 101) that has a channel profile. The elongated rail structure 101 can include a base member 110 with opposing sides 112 extending from the base member 110. The sides 112 can include facing surfaces 114 and opposing surfaces 116. The base member 110 can extend beyond the opposing surfaces 116 of the sides 112 to provide base mounting sections 118. Typically, the rail structure 101 can be a single, unitary, integral part. The material of the rail structure 101 can be metal, such as aluminum, and may be surface-treated to increase hardness and lower frictional coefficients (Example: Class III anodizing which may include PTFE or the like).

In an exemplary configuration, the rail structure 101 can be supported by an alignment bracket 102. The rail structure 101, with or without the alignment bracket 102, are mountable to the top of a barrel of a compact arrow launching device 120 (see FIG. 7).

As shown in FIG. 2, rail 101 and alignment bracket 102 are distinct members of the system 100. While alignment bracket 102 is depicted as a single member, it may be embodied as an assembly of one or more parts. Typically, the alignment bracket 102 is a single member forming a planar surface having a size that generally matches the footprint profile of the base member 110 of the rail 101. The rail 101 can include a plurality of mounting holes 130 that match with mounting holes 132 on the alignment bracket 102 when the rail 101 and alignment bracket 102 are stacked together as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4B, for example. The mounting holes 130, 132 can receive a fastener (not shown) that can attach to the top of the arrow launching device 120 (see FIG. 7). In some embodiments, the arrow launching device 120 can include female threaded holes to receive threaded bolts that are used to secure the rail 101 and/or the alignment bracket 102 to the arrow launching device 120. In other embodiments, an expandable pin may extend from the bottom of the rail 101 to fit through the mounting holes 132 of the alignment bracket 102 (if used) and insert and expand into holes in the arrow launching device 120. Of course, other mounting arrangements, as may be understood in the art, may be used to secure the rail 101 and/or the alignment bracket 102 to the arrow launching device 120.

As illustrated in FIG. 4A, the rail structure 101, when used alone, can be positioned in an extreme lower elevation below a bowstring center 122 as depicted as a reference dotted-line representing the center alignment of the bowstring. Where, as shown in FIG. 4B, the rail structure 101 can be positioned in an extreme higher elevation that is closer in proximity to the bowstring center 122 by adding an alignment bracket 102 of a suitable thickness.

In FIGS. 4A and 4B, the presence of or thickness of the alignment bracket 102 controls the fixed position of the rail 101 in proximity to the bowstring center 122. The range of practical distances in position, as measured from the edges of the rail channel to the center of the bowstring, is typically between 0.18″ in the extreme lower elevation and 0.07″ in the extreme higher elevation.

FIG. 5A shows a large diameter arrow shaft 103A supported by the rail structure 101. The rail structure 101 is positioned in the extreme lower elevation away, from the bowstring 122, and maintains the arrow's center diameter to be exactly aligned with the bowstring center, as depicted by the dotted reference line. Whereas FIG. 5B. shows a smaller diameter arrow shaft 103B supported by the rail structure 101. The rail structure 101 is positioned closer to the bowstring center 122 which allows the comparatively smaller center diameter of the arrow 103B to be aligned with the center of the bowstring. A variety of alignment bracket 102 thicknesses may be included and may also be color-coded in the system to accommodate a wide array of arrow diameters. FIGS. 6A through 6C illustrate three examples of alignment brackets 102, including a red alignment bracket 102A, a blue alignment bracket 102B and a green alignment bracket 102C, each having a different thickness. It should be understood that the thicknesses shown are not to scale but shown to illustrate how the alignment brackets 102 may be provided in different, color coded thicknesses.

FIG. 7 is provided to present the broader context of system 100 within an arrow launching device 120.

Hence, the various embodiments of the invention provide multiple benefits, which include the following: The robust support, alignment and locked positioning of the ridged rail structure to accommodate a broad range of arrow shaft diameters for reliable accuracy, the flanking location of the elevation adjustment mechanism providing for non-interference with many common string release mechanisms and potential for surface treatments to reduce friction for increased arrow speeds.

All the features disclosed in this specification, including any accompanying abstract and drawings, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

Claim elements and steps herein may have been numbered and/or lettered solely as an aid in readability and understanding. Any such numbering and lettering in itself is not intended to and should not be taken to indicate the ordering of elements and/or steps in the claims.

Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustrated embodiments have been set forth only for the purposes of examples and that they should not be taken as limiting the invention as defined by the following claims. For example, notwithstanding the fact that the elements of a claim are set forth below in a certain combination, it must be expressly understood that the invention includes other combinations of fewer, more or different ones of the disclosed elements.

The words used in this specification to describe the invention and its various embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification the generic structure, material or acts of which they represent a single species.

The definitions of the words or elements of the following claims are, therefore, defined in this specification to not only include the combination of elements which are literally set forth. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements in the claims below or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim. Although elements may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, it is to be expressly understood that one or more elements from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination and that the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of the claims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements.

The claims are thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted and also what incorporates the essential idea of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An adjustable arrow alignment support rail system comprising: a rail arrow support having a base member with spaced apart side members extending from a top side of the base member, forming a channel therebetween; and a support mount operable to fix the rail arrow support to an arrow launching device.
 2. The adjustable arrow alignment support rail system of claim 1, further comprising an alignment bracket attached to a bottom side of the base member.
 3. The adjustable arrow alignment support rail system of claim 2, wherein the alignment bracket includes a plurality of alignment brackets, each having a different thickness.
 4. The adjustable arrow alignment support rail system of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of alignment brackets include an indicator advising a user of an arrow diameter usable with each of the plurality of alignment brackets.
 5. The adjustable arrow alignment support rail system of claim 4, wherein the indicator is a distinct color for each of the plurality of alignment brackets.
 6. The adjustable arrow alignment support rail system of claim 2, wherein the alignment bracket is a one-piece component.
 7. The adjustable arrow alignment support rail system of claim 2, wherein the alignment bracket is a multi-piece component.
 8. An adjustable arrow alignment support rail system comprising: a rail arrow support having a base member with spaced apart side members extending from a top side of the base member, forming a channel therebetween; a support mount operable to fix the rail arrow support to an arrow launching device; a plurality of alignment brackets, where a select one or more of the plurality of alignment brackets are optionally removably attached to a bottom side of the base member to create a desired height between a top edge of the side members and a bowstring of the arrow launching device.
 9. The adjustable arrow alignment support rail system of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of alignment brackets include an indicator advising a user of an arrow diameter usable with each of the plurality of alignment brackets.
 10. The adjustable arrow alignment support rail system of claim 9, wherein the indicator is a distinct color for each of the plurality of alignment brackets.
 11. The adjustable arrow alignment support rail system of claim 8, wherein the alignment bracket is a one-piece component.
 12. The adjustable arrow alignment support rail system of claim 8, wherein the alignment bracket is a multi-piece component.
 13. The adjustable arrow alignment support rail system of claim 8, wherein the desired height is adjustable between about 0.07 inches to about 0.35 inches, the desired height selected based either excluding the selected one or more of the alignment brackets or including a desired thickness of the selected one or more of the alignment brackets.
 14. A method for using an arrow launching device with different diameter arrows, the method comprising: disposing an adjustable arrow alignment support rail system on the arrow launching device, the adjustable arrow alignment support rail system comprising a rail arrow support having a base member with spaced apart side members extending from a top side of the base member, forming a channel therebetween; a support mount fixing the rail arrow support to the arrow launching device, and a plurality of alignment brackets, where a select one or more of the plurality of alignment brackets are optionally disposed between the base member and the arrow launching device; creating a desired height between a top edge of the side members and a bowstring of the arrow launching device either by mounting the rail arrow support directly to the arrow launching device, or by disposing one or more of the plurality of alignment brackets between the base member of the rail arrow support and the arrow launching device, wherein the desired height is selected such that a center of an arrow to be used aligns with a bowstring of the arrow launching device.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of alignment brackets include an indicator advising a user of an arrow diameter usable with each of the plurality of alignment brackets.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the indicator is a distinct color for each of the plurality of alignment brackets.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein the alignment bracket is a one-piece component.
 18. The method of claim 14, wherein the alignment bracket is a multi-piece component. 